GoNOMAD Travel Podcast
By Max Hartshorne
GoNOMAD Travel PodcastJul 07, 2022
Central California's Empty Coast
Visiting Cambria, San Simeon and Ragged Point, California, where the emptiness and open space next to the Pacific are a tonic to the soul. Touring Hearst Castle, meeting the elephant seals, and walking the Moonstone Beach boardwalk. Read more about this destination on GoNOMAD.com travel.
Grand Manan, the Queen of the Bay of Fundy
There's something about this remote island located off the coast of New Brunswick Canada that makes locals fall in love with it. A real fishing island full of lobstermen and old cod and herring fishing shacks, and it was the summer home of author Willa Cather. Read more about wonderful Grand Manan on GoNOMAD. https://www.gonomad.com/70094-grand-manan-the-queen-of-the-bay-of-fundy
Why I Loved Saudi Arabia as a Woman
Federica Petrilli spent four months living in Riyadh and found it to be one of easiest places in the world to live as a woman. Despite some of the restrictive laws that are being relaxed, she found the men chivalrous and the woman kind. Read her story on GoNOMAD.com https://www.gonomad.com/139881-saudi-arabia-why-i-loved-living-there-as-a-woman
Visiting Varna, Bulgaria
Today we take a visit to one of Europe's truly unappreciated and cheapest places, the city of Varna on the Black Sea in Bulgaria. Mary Charlebois and Kevin Scanlon spent 8 weeks exploring Varna and share many details in their story, read more on GoNOMAD Travel. https://www.gonomad.com/230485-varna-a-pearl-on-the-black-sea-riviera
Skiing in Georgia
The Republic of Georgia is a unique country with its own alphabet and language, located just below Russia near the Black Sea. Take a ski trip to Gadauri, the country's largest ski resort in the mountains up north. The skiing is about as cheap as you can imagine and there are no trees on the slopes but plenty of snow.
U.S. Airlines You Should Know About
There are many airlines who 'fly below the radar' of the American traveler. In this episode we explore some of the tiny and medium sized relatively unknown airlines who are taking Americans all around North America and beyond. Read the story by Kaelie Piscatello here https://www.gonomad.com/224147-us-airlines-you-need-to-know-about
Rangering Around the World
Charlie and Kate are two English Park Rangers who have worked worldwide in the wilderness. How to become a park ranger and live around the world working in national parks. Read their story on GoNOMAD: https://www.gonomad.com/217219-rangering-around-the-world
Top Ten Best GoNOMAD Travel Stories of 2023
Every year, we publish more than 300 full-length travel stories, with more than 200 different writers submitting their travel articles worldwide. We picked the top ten stories for 2023 based on the length of time reading and other factors. Read more and see the stories here https://www.gonomad.com/229387-best-travel-stories-of-2023
Unneeded Hotel Amenities
Most travelers are looking for the same thing in a hotel room...yet many hotels still use landline phones, sewing kits, overcharged Wi-Fi, and too few plugs. Christopher Elliott wrote a feature on what we want and don't want in hotel rooms. Read more here https://www.gonomad.com/227944-dont-need-in-hotel
Ferry Across Lake Malawi
I am taking a small ferry boat the length of Lake Malawi, Africa's third largest lake. Ed Placidi stays the night on Likoma Island before heading north with a packed ferry. Read the story on GoNOMAD: https://www.gonomad.com/228099-a-legendary-african-ferry-on-lake-malawi
The Caves of Passetto
Near the city of Ancona in the Marche region of Eastern Italy, the village of Passetto has had famous beachside caves since the 1800s. GoNOMAD Travel Writer Cindy-Lou Dale met some of the lucky few who own these cave/beach houses of Passetto. See photos and read the story on GoNOMAD.com
https://www.gonomad.com/187958-ancona-the-impressive-caves-of-passetto-italy
Boquete, Panama
Boquete Panama has 5000 expats and a thriving tourism and outdoor adventure scene. Discover this unheralded Central American country where things are cheap and people are friendly. Read more on GoNOMAD Travel https://www.gonomad.com/227220-boquete-and-chiriqui
Coastal Mississippi
Coastal Mississippi has 42 miles of white sand beaches along the Gulf of Mexico at the bottom of the state. We visited the area between Bay St. Louis and Pascagoula and went shrimping, rode an airport, slurped oysters, and found one of the world's largest model train sets. Read more about it on GoNOMAD Travel
Thaipusam Festival in Penang, Malaysia
On the island of Penang, Malaysia, GoNOMAD Senior Writer Chin Teh Liang attends the wild Thaipusam Festival, where devotees of Lord Murugan follow his golden chariot to the temple, and coconuts are broken in celebration. Read more about it here https://www.gonomad.com/226551-thaipusam-festival-in-penang-malaysia
Switching Seats on a Flight
Switching seats on an airplane might be getting some viral videos and catching on, but Christopher Elliott provides solid reasons to NOT switch seats but to plan ahead to get the best seats.
Naked Sailing Cruise
Join us as we shed our clothes and join GoNOMAD writer Chris Moore as he joins 200 others on a naked sailing cruise on the Royal Clipper, a 440-foot steel sailing vessel. The trip sailed to ports in Croatia, and everyone enjoyed the freedom of being nude with others on board, except in the dining room and in port.
Read the full article on GoNOMAD Travel https://www.gonomad.com/224333-a-naked-cruise-adventure-in-the-adriatic
North Macedonia
North Macedonia might be the 'dim sum of tourist destinations' says Max Johnson, a frequent traveler and former tour company man. He visited the country to see Lake Ohrid, one of Europe's deepest, Tetovo, and learned that Mother Teresa and Alexander the Great are the two touchstones.
Medford Oregon: Crater Lake, Table Rock, with Wine
Medford Oregon is located in the southern part of the state, about 30 miles north of California. Highlights of a recent visit to Medford were Crater Lake, Table Rock, two large mesas near town, and the 70 wineries that line the Rogue Valley. Read the story on GoNOMAD.com
New Brunswick, Canada
New Brunswick, in the Maritimes of Canada, has so much to see and do and eat! Lobster is top of mind up here, and there are interesting history living museums, Acadian festivals and music, and spectacular scenery to explore.
New Brunswick Lobsters
New Brunswick Canada is home to Shediac...the world's lobster capital. We learned about the life and times of lobsters and how the fishery has become very sustainable with conservation and baby lobster breeding. Read more about New Brunswick on GoNOMAD Travel.
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Guanajuato's Wineries
In Guanajuato, located in the middle of Mexico, there is a booming wine tourist business, with more than 40 wineries in San Miguel de Allende, Leon, and Guanajuato City offering travelers European style Agritourism experiences where they can take tractor rides through the vineyards and taste the dozens of varieties. Find out more https://www.gonomad.com/221217-wine-culture-grows-in-guanajuato-mexico
Noisy Airport Terminals
Today is a rant. Why are airport terminals so noisy? In his Ask the Pilot column, airline pilot Patrick Smith talks about the noisiest terminals in the U.S. and some of the quietest ones, such as Berlin-Brandenburg Airport and Helsinki. Read the column here. https://askthepilot.com/airport-noise-scourge/
Mardi Gras Express Train from Amtrak
The Deep South is excited about bringing back the popular train service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. It has a new name, the Mardi Gras Express, and hopes to start service in 2024 if issues with the freight railroad CSX are resolved. Read the story on GoNOMAD https://www.gonomad.com/220977-amtrak-train-makes-a-gulf-coast
Tropea in Calabria, Southern Italy
Tropea is a stunning sight...a town perched on top of a cliff with a 240-foot drop down to a golden sand beach. Find out about the beaches, the views, and some of the culinary highlights of this popular beach town in Calabria, in the toe of Italy's boot. Read the story by John Henderson https://www.gonomad.com/219818-tropea-the-gem-of-calabria
Timber Rafting in Sweden
Timber Rafting on the The Klaralven River, or “the clear river” in Swedish, that runs for over 250 miles of clean and fresh water stretching from Sweden through Norway. Vildmark and Varmland, a Swedish tour operator, takes travelers into the woods and helps them build their own timber raft, then it sets them loose without a guide to navigate the long river, on either a one, four or eight night adventure.
Read the story on GoNOMAD about a couple from England who built their own raft and took the eight day journey.
https://www.gonomad.com/5175-timber-rafting-in-sweden
Adirondacks of NY
New York State's vast six million acre Adirondack Park has vistas, mountains and plenty of fun. Take a visit to the New York State country today on the GoNOMAD Travel podcast.
Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec
The Gaspe Peninsula is long stretch of coastline in eastern Quebec, at the top where the St. Lawrence river empties into the Atlantic Ocean. We took a week-long road trip to see whales and moose up close, learn about the history here and take in some great nightlife. Read more about Gaspe Peninsula on GoNOMAD Travel https://www.gonomad.com/98502-gaspe-peninsula-quebec-plenty-of-room-plenty-of-whales
Siskiyou County, California
Siskiyou County is the way, way far northern county, on the Oregon border in the center of the state. Take a trip 9.5 hours north of Los Angeles to discover the remote county the size of Connecticut with 4 percent of the people, and stay in a converted caboose at the Railroad Park Resort in Dunsmuir CA. Read the story https://www.gonomad.com/220787-northern-californias-siskiyou-county
Belmond Venice-Simplon Orient Express
The Belmond Venice-Simplon Orient Express is one of the world's greatest and most luxurious trains, harkening back to the original Orient Express made famous by Agatha Christie. Join us on an excursion from Venice to Paris for two days of total luxury, and don't forget to bring your tuxedo! Read the story on GoNOMAD Travel https://www.gonomad.com/219889-belmond-orient-express-train
Climate Change and Your Next Trip
How will the disaster of climate change affect your next vacation. Eloise Barker interviewed tour operators from Spain, the Galapagos, the Alps and Australia to find out specifics on how global warming is changing nature tourism and skiing. Read more https://www.gonomad.com/220674-how-will-climate-change-next-vacation
Budva and Cetinje, Montenegro
Montenegro is a tiny Balkan nation about the size of Connecticut. Annie Chen discovered a great beach town, Budva, and a historic center, Cetinje, and shares some of what makes them worth visiting. Read more about them on GoNOMAD. https://www.gonomad.com/192820-montenegro-budva-cetinje
Kuching, Sarawak Malaysia
Kuching is the capital city of the province of Sarawak, a wild, large province on the island of Borneo making up the eastern half of Malaysia. Find out about why it's called Cat City and about the exotic fruits and strange architecture that makes it a fascinating place to visit.
New Gadgets for Travelers
New gadgets for travelers to make things more comfortable. A fan, white noise machine, Apple airbags, a portable steamer, and a device to make one wired sound stream into two. Find the items here VERSIONTECH FAN https://amzn.to/3pzfqkL
APPLE AIRTAG LINK https://amzn.to/3JNjYuv
MEE AUDIO CONNECT https://amzn.to/3D2Ad36
YOGASLEEP WHITE NOISE MACHINE https://amzn.to/3PH9rVH
CONAIR FABRIC STEAMER https://amzn.to/44c6ZLi
UPXON 360 TRIPOD https://amzn.to/44eaEbs
Tips on Travel to Europe in 2023
We just returned from France and found some new tricks and tips for planning our trip and how to make it easier when we arrived. Using AI, Uber, Airbnb other information for modern travelers.
Tom's Wall in Alabama
Tom's Wall is a remarkable achievement in the woods of rural Florence Alabama. Built by Tom Hendrix, the one-mile wall is dedicated to his great, great Grandmother who was forced to walk the Trail of Tears when the natives were expelled from the Alabama territory to Oklahoma, and she walked back home by herself.
Storing Your Luggage
Luggage storage is convenient and in some cases, essential. But you can't really store your luggage in an airport locker any more, now services such as Bounce and Nannybag offer off-site storage in a variety of hotels, self-storage stores and other locations. Some offer pick up and drop off and water taxi service. Find out more about luggage storage on GoNOMAD https://www.gonomad.com/219056-tips-and-tricks-about-luggage-storage-on-vacation
Transatlantic on the Silverseas Dawn
Take a 12-day transatlantic trip on the 596-foot-long Silverseas Dawn luxury ship. GoNOMAD Senior Writer Tab Hauser's article shares the stories of life at sea, the 8 restaurants, and more. To read the story on GoNOMAD. https://www.gonomad.com/217810-going-transatlantic-on-the-silversea-dawn
La Belugue, a Unique B&B in Provence
We interviewed Kelly Goehler, one of the proprietors of La Belugue, a unique small B&B in a village in Provence that offers photography, cooking, and other wellness retreats and a full range of cooking classes. The property is from the 18th century and is surrounded by vineyards and has a very beautiful backyard with a pool and a long table for leisurely lunches and festive dinners. They also operate a wine bar and restaurant on the weekends. Find out more about these retreats and the B&B at www.la-belugue.com and www.cookinprovence.com.
Captain Yuriy Slastenin of the Star Clipper
The Star Clipper is one of three elegant schooners that sail the seas around the world, part of the Star Clippers line. We interview Captain Yuriy Slastenin about what it takes to be a ship captain and man the helm of these great ships and what the world of sailing is like.
Rome's Trattorias
In Maria Pasquale's new book, "The Eternal City: Recipes and Stories from Rome" she describes a classic Roman tradition: The Trattoria, where a casual atmosphere provides a relaxing place to enjoy one of Rome's favorites, carbonara. Read more on GoNOMAD:
https://www.gonomad.com/217268-the-eternal-city-rome-recipes-and-stories
Cargo Passenger Ship Travel in the Amazon
Take a tramp steamer, up the massive Amazon and Rio Negro in Brazil! GoNOMAD Contributor Johnny Motely shared his tale of time spent on the Greyhound of the river in South America, with tips on taking the most inexpensive cruise in the world. Read more https://www.gonomad.com/159687-amazon-river-cruising-to-see-the-rainforest
Turkiye by Motorcycle
Norm Bauer and his wife recently took a 47-day marathon motorcycle trip across Greece and Turkiye. They were thrilled to discover how inexpensive Turkiye's beach resorts are with no dinners costing more than $25 for two. Climb aboard a BMW motorcycle and take a journey with us today on GoNOMAD. Read the story here. https://www.gonomad.com/217100-crossing-turkiye_motorcycle
Guanajuato, Mexico
Guanajuato is in the very center of mountainous Mexico, it's both a state and a city and it offers Spanish colonial cities, ATV and kayaking adventures, and the special charm of the less-touristed interior of wonderful Mexico. Read Irene Thomas' GoNOMAD story https://www.gonomad.com/217734-guanajuato-the-mexico-you-havent-seen-yet
Muscle Shoals and Northern Alabama
Muscle Shoals is famous for the sounds that came from the two legendary recording studios there, the region of North Alabama is also home to Helen Keller's birthplace, WC Handy's home museum, and a stunning house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Visit Northern Alabama today on GoNOMAD!
Forest Bathing
Forest Bathing, or Shinrin Yoku in Japanese, is the art of walking into a forest and taking stock of every sense...the sights, the sounds, the smells and the feel of what you're experiencing. We meet two women who are forest bathing guides and find out details about this popular practice. Read more https://www.gonomad.com/216657-forest-bathing-a-mindful-woodland-journey
Punta Gorda, a visit to Old Florida
Punta Gorda is a throwback to the Florida of 1940s and before, when Disney wasn't there and towns like this were the main attraction. Find nature, art and fun people in this town, read more https://www.gonomad.com/216054-punta-gorda-florida
Visiting Russia in 2023
Despite a nearly unanimous array of worldwide sanctions and restrictions on travel, people do still visit Russia in 2023. James Pearce wrote about visiting St. Petersburg in early 2023 and the other aspects of travel to a spurned nation that is still the world's largest country. Read more
Normandy, France
Normandy, France is famous for Mont St. Michelle, the abby atop a hill off the coast, and for the D-Day Beaches and Caen Memorial. Come find out more reasons to visit this seaside province of France, Normandy, today on GoNOMAD. Read more about Normandy: https://www.gonomad.com/216718-normandys-brilliant-historical-and-touristic-sights
Roosevelt Island NYC
Roosevelt Island lies between Manhattan and Queens and makes for a fun day trip in NYC, where you can enjoy great views, historic buildings and lunch. Find out more about the island, today on GoNOMAD Travel. Read Tab Hauser's story https://www.gonomad.com/216349-roosevelt-island
San Antonio Texas and Phil Collins
San Antonio has become the top city for transplants in the entire country with 13,000 people moving there over the past few years. A new collections center featuring artifacts collected by rock drummer Phil Collins has just opened, and the city is a great place for a bike ride. Find out more about San Antonio in 2023 today on GoNOMAD Travel Podcast.